Adjustable support for articles of manufacture



March 1, 1960 L. R. RQCKWOOD ADJUSTABLE SUPPORT FOR ARTICLES OF MANUFACTURE Filed Feb. 13, 1956 INVENTOR. [,cz wrence RRockwood Hgen l 7 I'll:

United States Patch-t ADJUSTABLE SUPPORT FOR ARTICLES OF MANUFACTURE Application February 13, 1956, Serial No. 565,028-

3 Claims. (Cl. 248-137) This invention pertains to adjustable supports and relates particularly to a support for articles of manufacture, such as instrument cases and the like, by means of which the latter may be mounted in various positions of adjustment.

It is a principal object of the present invention to provlde an adjustable support which functions as a stand for supporting articles of manufacture in elevated and angular positions with respect to an underlying base.

Another important object of this invention is the provision of an adjustable support for articles of manufaeture and which, in one position of adjustment func-' tions as a handle by which to carry the article, and which in other positions of adjustment serves as a stable support for the article.

A further important object of the present invention is to provide an adjustable support for the articles of manufacture, which support is of simplified construction for economical manufacture, may be manipulated through its positions of adjustment with speed and facility, and enhances the appearance of the article which it supports.

The foregoing and other objects and advantages of the present invention will appear from the following detailed description, taken in connection with the accom panying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a view in front elevation of an adjustable support embodying the features of the present invention, the same being shown applied to an instrument case and adjusted to the position in which it functions as a carrying handle;

Figure 2 is a view in side elevation, as viewed from the right in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a view in side elevation, showing the support adjusted to a position in which it supports the instrument case in elevated position, a second position of adjustment of the instrument case being shown in dashed lines; and r t Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along the line 4-4 in Figure 2 and showing details of construction of a preferred form of adjusting mechanism.

Although it will be understood that the adjustable support of the present invention may be employed to support many types of articles, it is shown in the drawing associated with an instrument case, merely for purposes of illustration. The instrument case includes top panel 10, side panels Hand 14, bottom panel 16, back panel 18 and the front instrument panel 20. Feet 22, preferably of rubber or other resilient material,.are secured to the bottom panel adjacent the corners thereof, to support the case in upright position directly upon a desk or counter.

The adjustable support of the present invention preferably is constructed from a single length of metal rod or metal tubing. As illustrated in Figure 1 of the drawing, the length of tubing is bent intermediate its end to substantially U-shape, thereby providing a handle sec- 2,926,876 Patented Mar. 1, 1960 2 tion 24and laterally spaced side sections proportioned to receive the instrument case therebetween. As best shown in Figures 2 and 3 of the drawing, each side section is bent intermediate its ends, in a plane parallel to the side panels of the instrument case, to form the leg members 26 and 28. These leg members are disposed obliquely with respect to each other, and are reinforced in the area of the bend by the segment plate 30.

The tubing thus bent is secured pivotally to the side panels of the instrument case. In the embodiment il-' lustrated, this pivotal mounting is provided at each side of the instrument case by means of the pivot shaft 32 shown in Figure 4. This shaft is provided at one end with a threaded section 34 which is received through an opening 36. in the side panel of the instrument case. An intermediate portion 38 of the shaft is enlarged in diameter, forming a shoulder 40 adjacent the threaded section for abutment against the outer surface of the side panel of the instrument case. A securing nut 42 is threaded onto the threaded section 34 and drawn tightly against the inner surface of the side panel to 1 between the leg members.

secure the shaft firmly thereto. A washer 44 may be interposed between the nut and side panel, if desired.

The outer end of the shaft is provided with the threaded section 46 of reduced diameter and an adjacent bearing section 48 whose diameter preferably is greater than the threaded section 46 and less than the intermediate enlarged section 38. The bearing section 48 is received freely through an opening 50 formedin the reinforcing segment plate 30 adjacent the bend The securing nut 52, preferably backed by a washer 54, is threaded onto the outer threaded section 46, whereby to retain the segment plate on the bearing section 48 of the shaft.

Means also is provided for securing the leg members in various positions of adjustment with respect to the instrument case. In the embodiment illustrated, one of the supporting pivot shafts 32 is provided with a longitudinal bore adapted to receive slidably therethrough the actuator pin 56. The outer end of the pin is provided with a head 58, and a transverse hole is provided through the pin adjacent the inner end to receive the cotter pin 60 therethrough. Thus, the actuator pin is restricted in its longitudinal movement between the head 58 and the cotter pin 60.

An elongated leaf spring 62 is secured at one end to the inner surface of side panel 14, as by means of the rivets 64. The opposite end of the leaf spring extends forwardly into abutment with the inner end of the actuator pin 56. The leaf spring is tensioned in such manner as normally to urge the actuator pin outwardly to the position shown in Figure 4.

.A locking pin 66 is secured to the leaf spring inter-- mediate the ends of the latter. In the embodiment illustrated, the locking pin is provided at its inner end I with a threaded section 68 which is received through an opening in the spring. An adjacent enlarged shoul der 70 abuts against the surface of the spring facing the side plate of the instrument case, and a securing nut 72 is tightened upon the threaded section to secure. the locking pin to the spring.

ment case is shown in full lines supported in an upright position by means of the leg members 26 and 28'. In this position, the locking pin 66 is engaged in the opening 74 immediately adjacent the leg member 28. The bottom panel of the instrument case is substantially parallel to the surface of the underlying base 'upon which the terminal ends of the leg members rest. The terminal ends of the leg members '26 preferably are provided with caps 76 of rubber or other suitable material.

To adjust the position of the instrument case to the oblique position indicated by dashed lines in Figure 3, the operator pushes inwardly of the head 58 of the actuator. pin while holding the instrument case adjacent its rearward upper edge. The locking pin 66' thereupon is released from the opening in the segment plate 30, permitting the instrument case to be rotated in the direction of the arrows shown in Figure 3, until the opening 74' in the segment plate registers with the actuator pin. The actuator pin is then released, whereupon the leaf spring 62 urgesthe actuator pin outwardly and the locking pin engages the opening 74. It will be understood, of course, that the instrument case may be secured in positions of adjustment intermediate the two positions illustrated in Figure 3, by engaging the locking pin 66 in any one of the intermediate openings 74.

It is to be noted that the position of attachment of the pivot shaft 32 to the side panels of the instrument case is so chosen that the center of gravity of the instrument case is rearwardly thereof. In this manner the instrument case tends to rotate in the clockwise direction indicated in Figure 3, thereby assuring the assembly of maximum stability and reducing to a minimum the possibility of the assembly being topped over accidentally.

Referring now to Figure 2 of the drawing, the support is shown adjusted to the position in which the handle section 24 is positioned above the top panel of the instrument case, for use in carrying the latter. In this position of adjustment, the locking pin 66 engages the opening 74 immediately adjacent the leg member 26, and the handle section preferably is disposed in the vertical plane of the center of gravity of the instrument case. In this position of adjustment the instrument case may be carried in an upright position, with maximum facility.

-It is to be noted in Figure 2 that the leg members 26 are of such length as to extend slightly beyond the back panel 18 when the handle section 24 is in-carrying position. function, in cooperation with additional foot elements 78 secured tothe back panel of the instrument case, to support the latter on its back, if so desired.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art thatfvarious modifications of the details of construction described hereinbefore may be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention. For. example, the locking pin 66 may be carried by the segment plate 30 and the openings 74 provided in the side panel 14. Alternatively, the actuator pin and locking pin assembly described hereinbefore may be replaced by a simple friction lock assembly. This could be provided, for example, by reducing the bearing section 48 to a length shorter than the thickness of the segment plate 30 and utilizing the nut 52 to frictionally secure the segment plate against the shoulder formed between the bearing section and the enlarged intermediate section 38.-

Asanother example of modification, it willbe apparent Thus, the capped ends 76 of the leg members maythat the leg members 26, 28 of each pair may be formed as separate elements rather than from the single length of bent tubing illustrated. In addition, each leg member may be secured to a separate segment 30 to permit angular adjustment of the leg members with respect to each other. The two segments thus provided for each pair of leg members may be secured together releasably in any well-known manner, to secure the leg members in desired positions of relative adjustment.

The foregoing and other modifications and changes may be made, as will be apparent. Accordingly, it is to be understood that the foregoing description is primarily illustrative of the invention and is not to be considered as limiting the scope thereof.

Having now described my invention and the manner in which the same may be used, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In combination with an article of manufacture, an adjustable support therefor comprising an elongated rod bent to form a pair of laterally spaced leg sections and an interconnecting handle section, each leg section including a pair of elongated angularly disposed leg members forming. an included angle therebetween, a reinforcing plate traversing said included angle and interconnecting the inner ends of the leg members of each pair, pivot means connected to each plate and pivotally mounting the leg sections by said plates on opposite sides of the article, one of the leg members of each leg section being interconnected by the handle section and having a length sufficient to permit rotation of the handle section to a carrying position above the article, the leg sections functioning in another position of pivoted adjustment to support the article upon the diverging outer ends of the leg members,

and releasably interengaging locking means on at least one of the plates and associated side of the article and arranged on a radius of the pivot means within said included angle for selectively interconnecting the leg sections and the article in said carrying and supporting positions of pivoted adjustment.

2. The combination of claim 1 wherein the locking means comprises a retractable pin supported on the article and positioned for retractable reception in a selected one of a plurality of openings arranged in the associated plane on a radius of the pivot means, one of said openings being registrable with the pin when the support is in article-carrying position and another of said openings being registrable with the pin when the support is in article-supporting position.

3. The combination of claim 2 wherein the pivot means associated with the locking means is provided with a longitudinal bore therethrough, and an actuator pin is mounted slidably in said bore for engagement with the retractable pin support.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS D. 175,258 Jackson Aug. 2, 1955. 1,363,664 Livingston Dec. 28, 1920 1,705,580 Marburger Mar. 19, 1929 2,086,102 Stradling July 6, 1937 2,451,653 Bazelon Oct. 19, 1948 2,620,388 Franz Dec. 2, 1952 2,667,392 exton Jan. 26, 1954 2,724,571 Friedmanet al. Nov. 22, 1955 Petrick Oct. 1, 1957 

